Our Favorite Routes – From Timberhill to Downtown Corvallis

Our family often rides from the Timberhill area to downtown Corvallis.  There are several options available after crossing the intersection at 29th and Walnut.  Every effort is made to avoid biking with the family on Walnut.  Drivers go too fast and the bike lane is less than 6 feet wide – not suitable for kids, unfortunately.

Instead we head south on 29th and at Ashwood Dr. take a left turn, being careful to signal early and taking the lane for the turn. Ashwood ends at 27th, my favorite Neighborhood Bikeway in the city.  

At this point, we’ve tried taking 27th to Circle, or Garfield, then connecting to the11th Street Bikeway.  Instead, my kid prefers that we  take 27th, and 26th, all the way to the OSU campus.  The crossing at 27th and Circle has a light that responds quickly to bicycle wheels on the sensor.  We pass Kathryn Harris school, Cloverland Park, and the Montessori School.  

The intersection with Grant can sometimes be stressful, but the street is somewhat narrow making it a quick cross. We continue past Coolidge Park and the triangular road, then past Chintimini Park and the Community Center.

A very gentle hill begins at the intersection with Harrison. We take a left, and one block later take a right onto 26th.  At the intersection of 26th and Monroe we could stop for food, or continue onto campus.

26th has great bike facilities. Be careful to watch for other bikers and pedestrians,especially if you are there between classes and pedestrians are crossing.  Continuing to downtown you could either turn left on Campus Way (if going to the art museum), or as we prefer, go a little further and turn left on Jefferson.  Be careful, Jefferson is not well marked.  You will know its time to turn after passing the tall trees at the Memorial Union.  Jefferson has vehicle restrictions on campus.  There are Do Not Enter signs, but those only apply to cars.

It isn’t until 15th, at a stoplight, that you will likely see cars on the road again.  From 15th to 5th you will be on well-paved and tree-lined streets. We often stop at the Valley Rock Gym at 5th, or continue past the stoplights on 4th and 3rd to Block 15, the history museum, and the waterfront.

You can follow the same route in reverse to return back to NW Corvallis.

Happy riding!

-Rob Upson

“Our Favorite Routes” will run intermittently as you, our readers, submit your favorite ways to get from place to place in Corvallis using active and sustainable transportation. You can send descriptions and photos of your favorite routes to share with all of us by email to safecorvallis@gmail.com.